Morning Run
by Verdes.Girl
Summary: Hana's determined to show off how athletically minded she is. Her plan? to get in shape, win the heart of Ryohei...and try not too look like a fool doing it. ((May update with further chapters, consider this an introductory beginning)) reviews always welcome


She slowly zipped the pink and white striped tracksuit jacket, her fingers fiddling with the small metal tab losing her grip at the foreign feel of something that was not her usual fashion sense. She felt oddly naked despite the white tank top and secured sports bra as she pulled at the matching pant legs. Studying herself in the mirror she felt ridiculous looking in athletic wear, but fashion wasn't the point of wearing this kind of thing in any case. Quickly throwing her hair in a high ponytail completed the look of someone completely out of their depth, she screwed her face signing out loud her hand clamped around the doorknob of her front door. "Okay Hana you can do this" she stated half-heartedly shooting a look up at a plastic clock on the wall beside her, it was hard to conceive a five in the morning.

She threw the door open with a determination not to turn back and crawl into bed for another hour, even if at this point the idea was more than inviting. Her eyes were drawn down the block as she skirted the pavement outside of her home, squinting as she concentrated on a particular door wondering if he had already left? She felt rather stupid standing there, go over there or start jogging? Both options didn't seem to pleasant as she 'wussed' out turning around and dug out a small pink MP3 player from her back pocket sticking in the magenta bud headphones in her ears and selected an album that seemed like it was an unlikely chose coming from her.

She wondered what people would think looking through her playlist, songs like Adele and heavy instrumental while in reality she loved nothing more than listing to her Linkin Park and Mindless Self Indulgence. Letting out a small smile as the album's name "collision course" flashed on screen the little graphic of the cover art confirmed her most played album. Shoving it back in her pocket after a second she breathed heavily, turning with uncertainty to his home again she began mindless jogging the opposite way following the pavement and turning the corner.

After passing house after house they all blurred into unimportant details as she concentrated on the aching of her already complaining legs and the heavy beats that felt like they were going to burst her eardrums any moment from how. She counted the blocks she past and mentally noted down how many turns she took, just to keep her mind from wondering (hoping) that she would run into him and have a chance to show off how 'athletically minded' she was, why it was so suddenly important to her that she impressed him was beyond her at this point after all...after all it was only Kyoko's older brother.

The lyrics pumped "No turning back" it suddenly broke her stride at the realisation of how long she had been jogging, the album replaying itself happily. "Twenty minutes really?" no wonder she was so winded, she felt her legs buckle and soon found her backside sliding down a brick wall and hitting with satisfaction the cement below her. There was a heavy pulsing emitting from her legs as they ached in annoyance at her for suddenly becoming interested in fitness. She was stupid enough not to even warm up or stretch before hand, she really didn't think that stuff matter but now she could tell how wrong she had been. She rubbed one of her legs apologetically ripping the ear bud away from her and let it clank against the cement still spilling out lyrics onto the sidewalk.

"Oh! Kurokawa is that you?" a boisterous male voice broke her attention, snapping her head to the left she squinted realising the figure crossing the road towards her. "Oh great" she though fighting back a frown, she lifted her arm weakly waving to him "Ryohei" she didn't bother getting unfamiliar with him, she had been best friends with his little sister since she could remember. He closed in on her now with his trademark large smile plastered on his face, his hands shoved casually into his black tracksuit pants "Are you out for a run too?" she smiled despite herself she couldn't help reply with sarcasm, one of her many mannerisms that had built over the years of practice "No I sleep walk" he obviously didn't pick up on this "ooh?! You wear tracksuits to sleep?" he was so ridiculously dense sometimes that it bordered on adorable, not that she liked that term and applying it to Ryohei.

"Help me up?" she asked throwing her hand to him, cuffing it without hesitation he hoisted her up with little effort. Her sore legs lost their footing forcing her into his chest for a moment, she shot back as if he was boiling hot apologising with a small frown. He kept his smile not even registering the event, Adorably dense the two little words found their way back into her mind. "So are you on your way home?" she questioned wanting to break the silence between them, he simply nodded with a quick stretch "What about you Kurokawa you seem pretty puffed" he said in what was considered his 'concerned' voice although like most of his mannerisms to the untrained eye and ears they seemed all the same in facial expression and voice. "P...Puffed?" she caught her breath, puffed and completely unfit "I..I've been jogging for ages, it's not like this little walk's going to wear me out" she found herself lying out her teeth and why should he have any reason to doubt her, for all he knew she never slept in late got ready in a rush and barely meet Kyoko on time. She had managed to contain an air of effortless about her and she wasn't going to do anything to ruin that reputation, flicking her ponytail she didn't meet his eyes afraid of ruining her poker face.

He leaned closer to her now, catching her off guard as his hand reached for her "That's strange, seeming your price tags showing" he couldn't help smirk pulling at the little tab of paper that she had forgotten to remove and that seemed to become dislodged in her fruitless jog. Mentally swearing at herself she faked a wide smile "woops silly me?" it came out more of a question then a statement as he kept the smirk studying the price tag, at least she had expensive taste. "For a girl who used to get D's in P.E you're sure are sporty Kurokawa" her heart skipped a beat at his statement before reason poisoned her dreamy mindset 'don't be stupid of course he just knows that because your Kyoko's friend' She snatched the price tag from him defiant "You know you can call me Hana right? You don't have to keep calling me Kurokawa" she glanced back at him to gauge his response before becoming overly interested in the washing intrusions that were printed on the paper tag.

His smile widened "Alright then Hana" she really liked the way her named sounded coming from him, she also hated herself for it. Although she thought she could hide her childish feelings for him, Kyoko picked up on it sooner than later and 'confronted' her in a sense although it was more a fit of giggles and hoping that they would get married so Hana could be her sister, it was more than safe to say Kyoko gave Hana her blessing to have a crush on her older brother. "I doubt you can even walk home right now" he folded his arms now and despite her usual grown up attitude she found herself fighting back like a child "Can too" it slipped out so easily, she just didn't want to admit that she was so unfit that she was winded from what was considered as short workout.

She felt his eyes on her back as she took five wobbly steps, slowly making it just to the curb before her legs decided to give out again and she found her arse once again on the cement below her. She bite her lip down not wanting to look more useless and cry out in front of him. She couldn't see but he let out a small laugh shaking his head he walked up to her putting a hand gently on her shoulder "want a lift?" he asked, she was confused at his wording but nodded in any case and watched as he kneeled in front of her. "A piggyback ride?" she questioned "aren't we a bit old for this?" but she accepted feeling a mixture of embarrassment and excitement as he stood up her legs at his sides pressed against his back, she couldn't help but think that he smelt incredibly good for someone who was just exercising.

"Do you remember the last time I gave you a piggyback ride?" he asked suddenly breaking her concentration, this switching game between a girly girl with a crush and a normal functioning person was harder then she thought. "Erh no?" she screwed up her face feeling bad but he continued without a beat as if he expected that was the case. "You'd scrapped up your knee pretty badly by the river I had to carry you all the way home, you wouldn't stop crying and you soaked my shirt" there was a soft laughter there, or was that her imagination? She mused on it and there was silence once again, it was comforting silence "wasn't I like ten" she broke the silence again thinking back to that day "and I didn't even cry that much" she stated trying to win back any dignity she had at this point which between showing off how out of shape she was and becoming a cripple didn't really chalk up to her having much at this stage.

"You were nine...I remember these things" it had been an odd thing to say to her and it swelled in her brain all through the quite walk home, had he meant that in a overly brotherly way that made her stomach tug and her heart sting or did he mean it in a loving way that made her head go off with the fairies (even if she really wished it didn't?) then again it was Ryohei why make things out to be more complicated than they really were, maybe he just said it because he meant it.


End file.
